Faith and fear are two opposing forces that were not meant to go together like bread and butter. However, they can have the effect of forcing the other one out. When there is so much fear in your life, you are always waiting for the next bad thing to happen. I see people walking in fear a lot lately. People are walking in fear of financial situations, divorce, death, presidential candidates, or the terrorists’ attacks plaguing our world. Perhaps every one of those has touched your life profoundly.

Fear is defined as the following according to Merriam-Webster:

an unpleasant emotion caused by being aware of danger: a feeling of being afraid

a feeling of respect and wonder for something very powerful

In case you were wondering we are not focusing on the second definition. To have fear for God in this way of wonder is excellent, but too often no one gets past the first definition. I wonder though how you get to the second part of the description when you in awe and wonder of God instead of stuck in the first part. I will tell you! Faith. When you put faith in the middle of fear you get to the point of respect of the Father. Respecting God might seem simple, but it does take work on our part.

When our fears about our life become more significant than our faith, we fall into trouble. So, as most of you know, I am a single parent, and everywhere there are couples. Sometimes the fear of being alone for the rest of my life scares the blue blazes out of me. Really it does. When I let my fear speak it says will I ever find someone? Then it will start to carve into me deeper with thoughts of I am good enough and will anyone ever love me? Until I am finally in the, no one will ever love me, and I will be this way for the rest of my life. I am fat, my life sucks, and even the silly little things in my life feel like this huge problems. For me, fear moves into frustration about my current situation, which then leads to anger about anything out of place or not going the way I want it. Now, these types of fear thoughts are annoying in my head, self-centered, and mostly ridiculous because I now have faith in Jesus.

Faith comes into my situation now and says SHUT UP FEAR! I am not listening to those voices anymore.

My faith brings out my patience for the plans God has for my life, and the love I have for everything in my life. Faith becomes my hope in crazy situations and problems in life. Do I get asked often how do you do it? The simple answer is my faith in Jesus. Jesus is so real to me, so tangible, and His presence is with me all the time. Especially on those days when the world starts to crash on me Jesus is there. In those times when I mess it all up and when those whispers of fear start knocking on the door of my mind. What I love now is I have a choice before I open the door to my fear and you do too. Right before I open the door my hand is on doorknob I ask Jesus to come into my situation. I can take my hand off the knob and walk away from my fears. I have decided my God is bigger than those fears, and you must know I didn’t get it right the first time. When I was messing things up not getting it right, I was willing to take the chance for God’s purpose in my life. I stepped out into what He had for me even if it was just Him and I forever. What a forever and happily ever after!

When I transform fear by putting faith in the middle of my fears, look below what can happen.

fear

: an unpleasant emotion caused by being aware of danger: a feeling of being afraid

faith

:allegiance to duty or a person

: belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust

:something that is believed especially with strong conviction

fear:

:a feeling of respect and wonder for something very powerful

Faith in the middle of our fears changes lives. Walk with hope at your core with your eyes on Jesus throughout the day because when your terror comes knocking you know, you don’t have to open the door anymore.

Subscribe

No part of this publication or website may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form. This is including photocopying, recording, other electronic, or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of Esme Alburn, except in the case of quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Links or posts may be shared provided that credit to Esme Alburn is clearly referenced and the original post is linked within the post.